After going 1-8 in the first half from deep, the Lady Aces turned things around and went 8-9 from deep and hit clutch free throws late to top Bowling Green 54-51 and grab their first state tournament win since the 2018-19 season.
The big three for Owensboro Catholic got things on going at Rupp Arena on Wednesday morning, as sophomores Karmin Riley and Aubrey Randolph got a layup each before a steal by Randolph led to a a layup for junior Hailee Johnson and a 6-0 lead with 4:45 left in the first quarter. Senior Tanaya Bailey stopped and popped a turnaround mid-range jumper shortly after to put the Lady Purples on the board, but Riley responded with a three to make it seven points in the quarter for her and a 9-2 Lady Aces lead with 2:57 to go in the first.
“I told our team that we had to come in and be ready,” Karmin Riley said. “I was hyped all day. I had brought energy and I told everyone we just have to keep our head good. I just knew I had to come out and play good today and we got the win.”
But some turnover issues kept Owensboro Catholic from expanding their lead to close the quarter, going into the second up 11-6. Head Coach Michael Robertson said that controlling the tempo throughout the game was key, something that helped them get off to a strong start.
“We just wanted to make sure we contained their drives,” Robertson said. “No straight line drives. We didn’t want them getting up and down the floor. We pressed them and slowed them. They didn’t turn the ball over necessarily, but they didn’t get layups.”
But Bowling Green eventually got going off of those turnovers in the second as well, as a 6-0 run gave them their first lead of the night at 14-13 with 3:25 left in the half. The two teams traded the lead back and forth for the remainder of the first half, but it was the Lady Purples who got a late layup from senior Saniyah Shelton after an offensive rebound—helping them take a narrow 19-18 lead into the locker room.
Bowling Green stayed sharp coming out of the locker room as senior Meadows Tisdale opened up the second half with a bucket, but a corner three from Hailee Johnson tied things back up at 21-21 with 6:12 to go in the third.
This was the start of a dominant second half performance from deep for the Lady Aces, as it was a big three from senior Lauren Keelin followed by her taking a charge on the other end late in the third that made it a 32-30 game with 1:12 to go in the third. Keelin’s effort on both ends of the floor kickstarted a 7-0 run for Owensboro Catholic, but the Lady Purples got an answer in the form of a three by sophomore Katy Smiley—one of her 6-13 en route to 20 points on the night—to cut it to 35-33 with 30 seconds left in the quarter.
Lauren Keelin responded with two free throws shortly after having been fouled on a three-point attempt, but Smiley got a pair herself as the Lady Aces held a narrow 37-35 lead heading into the fourth. Owensboro Catholic continued to connect from three in the final quarter, as an offensive rebound by Randolph led to a three for Johnson that gave them a 42-39 lead with 5:12 to play.
Tisdale kept trying to push the Lady Purples back out in front though, cutting things to a one-point game at 44-43 a minute later. The back and forth affair continued later into the fourth, as minutes later Riley got a steal and it led to a corner three by senior Katie Riney—her second of the night—before a quick three in response for Bowling Green made it 47-46 with 2:30 to play.
The threes kept raining at Rupp too, as the following possession Lauren Keelin connected for her second three of the night to make it a 50-46 Lady Aces lead with 2:16 to play. The Lady Purples were able to get two free throws the ensuing possession, but Owensboro Catholic was able to hold them scoreless for the next minute to lead 50-48 with the game winding down.
Bowling Green gave themselves a chance to even things up though, as Shelton was fouled by junior Jenna Krampe with 28.8 seconds to play. She was unable to sink both though, while Randolph and Riley went to sink a pair each.
The Lady Purples knocked down a three as the buzzer sounded in rowdy Rupp Arena, but it was too little too late as Owensboro Catholic claimed the 54-51 win to secure their spot in the Elite Eight. It was a true team effort, as Robertson was pleased with the way his team turned things around offensively to grab their first state tournament win since the 2018-19 season.
“I thought we played really hard the whole game,” Robertson said. “We couldn’t buy a shot in the first half. We were 1-8 from the three-point line and then in the second half we just caught fire. We were 8-9 in the second half from the three-point line. I told them at halftime we just have to stick with it and continue to play.”
Riley went 2-6 from deep herself and led the way for the Lady Aces, chipping in 16 points and five assists. The sophomore guard was excited to play a big part in the win, saying that she was thrilled to see her senior teammates get the state win they’ve been chasing for years.
“It was pretty special,” Riley said. “For the first game, the way we played and how we got a win… It’s something special with just the fact that all these seniors missed out in the past for COVID and now we’re back and in the Elite Eight. It’s really special for us and our team.”
Johnson went 3-4 from deep and followed with 13 points, while Lauren Keelin and Riney hit a pair each and finished with nine and eight points respectively. Owensboro Catholic got contributions from a number of players in big moments on the night, which Robertson said is a result of the trust that the players have in one another.
“The thing about it is I think we’re playing the basketball that we have all year,” Robertson said. “It took us forever to figure it out, but we’re together as a team. Like the girls said, nobody cares who does what, we just want to be here, have fun and do what we can.”
A huge part of their offensive success in the win was a result of their halfcourt offense, straying away from their typical fast-paced style and being able to hit big shots countless times throughout the morning.
“We’re picking out mismatches or advantages we have,” Robertson said. “If they’re not going to guard somebody, then that person pops out and [has] to be ready to shoot. That’s where Lauren’s been really good. Hailee came in and they weren’t guarding on her, they were switching on Karmin and we were able to hit shots. Katie Riney played a big game too. She hit some big shots. Aubrey hit big free throws too.”
Robertson was also proud of the job they did defensively by limiting Tisdale to 11 points and eight rebounds on seven shots, while also winning the rebound battle 26-24 despite being a little undersized.
“We did a really good job of rebounding the basketball for the most part all day,” Robertson said. “We’re so small. It’s hard to do anything with Tisdale inside. But we did a good job of making her work and then getting out on the other people. The other ones didn’t want to shoot from the outside.”
It’s been a whirlwind of a postseason for Owensboro Catholic, but with a day off before taking on Sacred Heart at 11 a.m. on Friday Robertson said that the Lady Aces are going to take some time to enjoy the win. They’ll obviously prepare for the tough opponent in the meantime as well, looking to make sure their girls are ready for an all out battle while hopefully having another big crowd behind them at Rupp Arena.
“We’re going to soak this one in and relax,” Robertson said. “We’re at the final eight again, the elite eight. So let’s see what we can do. Like I said, either team we play here we’re going to have our hands full. This place does funny things to you. You can get tight. Anybody can get tight. We just gotta come out with a gameplan as a coaching staff and be ready for them.”
“We had an absolutely wonderful crowd,” Robertson said. “Not only the student section, but the parents and the fans too. I hope they all come back out on Friday, because no matter who we play it’s going to be a tough one.”
